The Creevey Courtship
by FishNet
Summary: A bit of Colin Creevey fluff. It's Colin's seventh year at Hogwarts, and one night he meets an enchanting Ravenclaw girl and sparks fly... ColinOC pairing
1. Dances in the Dark

The Creevey Courtship  
  
Colin Creevey walked down the deserted Hogwarts hallway, camera hanging around his thin neck as it always did. He was seventeen, a seventh year Gryffindor, rather short and skinny for his age, but it didn't bother him. He was generally too thrilled with his surroundings to notice such things. Ever since he'd been accepted to Hogwarts—and such a surprise, as he'd lived a Muggle's life—he'd been enthralled with the magical world. There were trick candies and games on broomsticks, and ordinary boys could be heroes. That was what he'd been most impressed by, he was sure, reading about Harry Potter, who had brought down He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named when he was only a baby, and continued to fight him through his school years.  
  
It was disappointing now that Harry, a year ahead of Colin, had graduated, but there was still lots for Colin and his younger brother, Dennis, to do. And Colin had his NEWTs approaching; Dennis was studying for OWLs. Colin was still doing his photography, more than ever now, taking pictures of anything that caught his eye. Some of them he sent home, but there were a few that had seemed more personal that he kept in a photo book in his trunk. He hoped he could be a photographer after school. A girl in his year, Luna, had a father who ran a magazine, and she'd said that she could possibly help him break into the field. Luna, everyone said, was a bit batty, but Colin didn't mind her, and Harry Potter certainly didn't seem to, considering that Colin had seen them snogging on multiple occasions the previous year. And often, in more boring classes, what should've been Luna's notes were actually long letters beginning with "Dear Harry..." and continuing in a slew of funny things that Luna talked about, that Harry probably understood much better than Colin.  
  
Colin did not have a girlfriend, and he never thought much about the subject. There were some nice girls in Gryffindor, of course. Ginny Weasley was one of the prettiest girls in the year. But she had had steady boyfriends since her fourth year, and besides, Colin couldn't see dating her. Ginny was very nice, but he'd never thought of her that way. She was taller than he was, anyhow. There had been one very small girl a year ahead of him, but she'd kept to herself and it was clear that Neville Longbottom had fancied her. Colin heard that they were now dating. Parvati and Padma Patil, who had been the prettiest girls in the school until their graduation the previous year, were now doing ads for Gladrags Wizard Wear, and Lavender Brown—who Colin had actually asked out once, and been sneered at by—was telling fortunes somewhere.  
  
Girls were nice as friends, but Colin had given up on a girlfriend ever since the nasty incident with Lavender.  
  
It was just about curfew, so most of the other students were already in their common rooms, working frantically on their homework. Colin liked the halls when they were nearly empty like this; it gave him a chance to get some really spectacular shots. But he didn't want to get into trouble—he had enough to do without detentions—and so he was just about to head back to the Gryffindor dorms when he heard the music.  
  
It was coming from Professor McGonagall's transfiguration classroom. The door was slightly ajar, and there was light coming from inside. Perhaps the professor was in there doing something, Colin thought, deciding to go and have a quick peek. He tiptoed up and pressed his eye to the crack.  
  
It wasn't McGonagall. A slim girl he recognized as a seventh year Ravenclaw was standing in front of a mirror at the front of the class. She had pale blonde hair up in a bun and was wearing tights, a leotard, and ballet shoes, a black skirt tied around her waist. There was a harp on a desk, and the girl gracefully extended one leg in time to the soft tune it was playing. She was standing on one toe, and turned slightly so that he could see the side of her face. She was a very lovely girl.  
  
He watched for a few minutes more as she continued to dance to the harp's music, watching her reflection in the mirror. He was absolutely fascinated, and his hands fingered the camera around his neck. This he'd definitely like a picture of. And perhaps, he wouldn't use the potions to make the picture move. There was something about the way she was posing, obviously trying to hold herself on her toe as long as she could, that made him think he'd like a picture where she just stayed like that.  
  
He had pushed the door further open a while before and she hadn't noticed, and now he raised the camera to his eye, centered her in the frame and pushed the button. There was a soft click.  
  
She gasped, startled, and slipped, catching her balance at the last second to avoid tipping over. She whirled around glaring at him.  
  
"Sorry," he muttered.  
  
"What d'you think you're doing?" she snapped. "You had no right to-to spy on me, take my picture without my permission."  
  
"Sorry," Colin said, quite sincerely. "I-I didn't think about it. I didn't think you'd mind."  
  
"Yeah, well, I do," she replied.  
  
"It's curfew anyhow," Colin said. "You'd better go back to your common room or you'll be in trouble—does McGonagall know you're in here, anyway?"  
  
"Yes, I have permission. And I'm allowed to stay out and practice a little later." She strode over to a desk where her bag, cloak and wand lay. She picked up the wand and, with a flick of her wrist, the mirror disappeared. She lay her wand back down and began to undo her shoes, getting one off and sticking it into the bag.  
  
"Don't stop on my account," Colin said. "You were really lovely. I'll just go now, see..."  
  
"I reckon I've had enough practice for tonight. You've made me slip up now," she said coldly, sitting on top of the desk and beginning to unwrap a great deal of tape from around her toes, which were fairly battered once she'd gotten it all off.  
  
"That looks painful," Colin said.  
  
"Yeah, well, ballet's tougher than it looks," she said, pulling on flat black Mary Janes and jumping off of the desk. She pulled on her cloak and did up the fastenings, lifting her bag over her shoulder. She silenced the harp with another wave of her wand and put it beneath Professor McGonagall's desk, then blew out the candles that were lit around the room and strode out past him, her cloak fluttering out behind her.  
  
"Sorry again," Colin called as she disappeared down the corridors. But the lovely ballerina did not reply. 


	2. It's not just a river in Egypt

Colin sat down to breakfast the next morning, still a little bit groggy. He yawned widely and Dennis immediately plopped down next to him, coming over from the Hufflepuff table where he'd been saying good-morning to a few friends. "Hiya, Colin," Dennis said cheerily. "How come you were out so late yesterday? Get some nice shots, eh?"  
  
"Er, yeah," said Colin, helping himself to some sausage. He was very close with his brother, and usually they told each other everything, but Colin suddenly didn't feel like starting in about the blonde girl. Besides, he thought, considering her reaction to having Colin walk in on her, he didn't think she'd be too happy if she thought he was spreading the news of her nightly dances all over the school. And Dennis had never exactly been discreet—but then, Colin hadn't either. The only time he'd ever been silent in his life had probably been during his first year when he'd been petrified for a great deal of time.  
  
"Great, I can't wait to see them!" Dennis said before starting in about a particularly nasty homework assignment—Snape, of course, being the teacher who had assigned it—and Colin was glad for the change of pace. He dove into the conversation with his usual zeal.  
  
Well, until he was distracted by the Ravenclaw table. The blonde girl had come in, and chosen a seat right next to Colin's friend Luna. She had her hair down today, and it hung halfway down her back. Luna smiled brightly and greeted her, and they began talking.  
  
Colin tried to appear as if he was looking down at his plate, when he was really watching Luna and the ballerina talking. The ballerina was telling Luna some sort of story, gesturing her hands as she spoke and taking bites of egg in between sentences. Colin's suspicions on the topic were confirmed when the ballerina gave him a pointed look, and Luna followed her gaze. Colin looked away hurriedly, but didn't miss the smile and wink that Luna gave him.  
  
Dennis waved happily at Luna. "Hey, Colin, you and Luna ought to go out. Go on, I bet she'd spend the next Hogsmeade weekend with you."  
  
"She has a boyfriend, Dennis."  
  
"Oh, yeah, that's right, her and Harry."  
  
Luna had the same first class as Colin, and she caught up with him as he was leaving the Great Hall. He and Luna had become friends in their fourth year at Hogwarts. They'd both been members of the DA—Dumbledore's Army, a group of students who were uniting against He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named and the more resident evil of their toad-like Professor Umbridge.  
  
"Morning," she said amicably, sticking a half-eaten biscuit in her mouth as she hauled her bag further up her shoulder with one hand and fastened on her radish earrings with the other.  
  
"Morning," replied Colin.  
  
"So I hear you've been spying on Susannah," Luna said, grinning at him.  
  
"I—was—not!" Colin cried. "I just... happened upon her."  
  
"And took her picture without asking."  
  
"I wasn't spying on her," he insisted again. Then, after a pause, he added, "so, her name's Susannah?"  
  
"No, that's the name of my new crumple-horned snorkack."  
  
"Oh, so you've another imaginary pet?" Colin said, sniggering, then quickly he added, "don't start in about the snorkacks, they're real, they're real. What do I know anyway, I'm a muggle born." This was generally the only way to appease Luna if he accidentally insulted her beloved snorkacks, or any of the other creatures she went on about that more sensible folk insisted didn't exist.  
  
"So is she," said Luna stealthily.  
  
"Well, I suppose that explains the ballet," Colin said, trying to sound disinterested. "It's not exactly huge in the wizarding world, eh?" Luna shrugged. There was a pause, and then Colin said, "So, does she really and truly hate me then?"  
  
"No, Colin, she doesn't really and truly hate you," said Luna, who clearly felt that her purpose had been accomplished. "She thought you were spying on her and were going to post that picture around the school to make fun of her or blackmail her or something."  
  
"What's so bad about it? She looked lovely, she's really good."  
  
"Even with You-Know-Who gone, there's still people at this school and out of it who look down on Muggles and Muggle-borns, Colin. And considering some of the Slytherins, if they found out that she'd rather dance in Muggle ballet than do wizarding things after school, they'd make it a living hell for her. She might have to stop practicing at night, and trust me, that would really kill Susannah."  
  
"Oh," Colin said, feeling rather sorry about the whole thing.  
  
"But don't worry. I set her straight about everything. I mean, she's still pissed you took her picture without her permission and, really, you were spying on her just standing there, you could've asked."  
  
"Shut up."  
  
"Oh, I think you're blushing," said Luna, laughing.  
  
"Shut up!"  
  
"You fancy her."  
  
"I do not!"  
  
"Yes you do, it's completely obvious."  
  
"Do not. I hardly know her," Colin said stubbornly.  
  
"So?" Luna said with a grin. They had arrived at their class and sat down together at a table near the back of the class. Both began pulling out parchment, quills and ink. "Well," said Luna pleasantly, "here's to not paying attention in class and daydreaming about certain someones instead." She held up her inkbottle as if she was giving a toast. Then, as the professor entered and started chalk sailing across the blackboard with a wave of his wand, Luna started in on one of her long letters beginning "Dear Harry," and that was Colin's cue to leave her alone for a bit.  
  
At least he knew that Susannah didn't despise him—and he knew her name. That was something. Although he did owe her an apology for—he had to admit it, sighing—spying on her. Perhaps she'd even let him watch her dance again. And that, he thought, taking Luna's advice and not paying attention, would be really lovely.... 


End file.
